The following description relates to collaboration in an enterprise, for example, the use of collaborative conversation channels to facilitate collaboration among members of a community.
Virtually every aspect of an enterprise is driven in some form by collaboration among participants to complete tasks. Many different types of collaborative structures typically exist in a work environment. Examples include personal networks, teams, departments, organizations, and business networks. Personal networks generally are based on an individual's private relationships, which he or she may use to get informal information or advice—e.g., by sending an email inquiry to a trusted colleague seeking input on an issue of concern. Teams are made up of a group of people who are organized to work together and may include ad-hoc teams, project teams (e.g., a product launch team), ongoing teams (e.g., a sales team, management team, and the like) and the like. Departments may be made up of multiple teams working together for a common goal. An organization may represent an entire company, and a business network may include members from across company boundaries (e.g., a group of trusted suppliers).
In general, the efficiency and productivity of an enterprise can be improved through the use of information sharing, communication, and coordination among individuals, members of a team, a department, an organization, or a business network. To this end, collaboration may be accomplished, for example, through meetings, websites, teleconferences, phone conversations, email exchanges, instant messaging, face-to-face discussions and the like.